Amazon Kindle Fire vs. iPad 2 vs. Nook Color: by the numbers — Clearly, Amazon's just-announced Kindle Fire isn't designed to compete head-to-head with the iPad 2 on specs alone, but that doesn't mean consumers won't be cross-shopping the two this holiday season — and that means a comparison is in order.

Amazon's New Kindles — Kindle Fire — The Kindle Fire's slogan says it all: “All the content. Ultra-fast web browsing.” That's the best sort of marketing message: simple, appealing, and true. Well, we'll see how fast their new cloud-boosted Silk browser is in practice, but the content part is undeniably true.

Fire — I don't comment on Apple products or development here, but I'm absolutely fascinated by the Amazon Fire announcement today, and it has nothing to do with the iPad. — Lost in the “Is it an iPad Killer?” hype is the audacious introduction of the Silk browser.

The Omnivore — First it was Earth's Largest Bookstore. Then came TVs, cameras, appliances, auto parts, music, diapers... Now, with the new Kindle Fire, Amazon's Jeff Bezos is making his boldest move yet — Jeff Bezos is channeling Steve Jobs. It's mid-September and the wiry billionaire founder …

“Free” — Buried under the massive Kindle news is something arguably more important: Microsoft just got Samsung to pay them to use Android. This means that two of the major Android OEMs (Samsung and HTC) now pay Microsoft to use the “free” Android OS. The third (Motorola) was just bought by Google.

Inside Google Plus — For all of Google's successes, the company has an underwhelming track record when it comes to social networks. Time after time, its attempts have been met with shrugs or downright hostility. An early offering called Orkut languished in obscurity (unless you live in Brazil).

Marc Andreessen: The “Clock Is Ticking” On Oracle — Marc Andreessen thinks that the clock is ticking on Oracle and other old-line software and infrastructure companies. — His evidence: not a single one of Andreessen-Horowitz's startup investments use Oracle software. They all use cloud-based alternatives instead.

RIM releases list of Android-on-PlayBook no-nos — Google Maps, SIP, or widget fans look away now — Details have started to appear regarding Research In Motion's BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps, the compatibility layer which - it hopes - will breathe new live into its ailing PlayBook …

Yahoo Cofounder Jerry Yang “Has Re-assumed Command” — The leadership situation at Yahoo right now is incredibly murky, and no two sources close to the situation see it the same way. — That said, one thing is clear. — Jerry Yang - who is at once a beloved cofounder and a hated former CEO - has reinserted himself at the top.